The bear had snatched the family's cooler from their campsite in a national forest in northern Georgia. The 300-pound black bear was taking its loot back into the woods when Chris Everhart's 6-year-old son threw a shovel at it.

Everhart says the bear started charging, so he grabbed the first thing he could find, which happened to be a log from the family's firewood.

Everhart lobbed the chunk of wood, hitting the bear in the head and killing it.

"(I) threw it at it and it happened to hit the bear in the head," Everhart said. "I thought it just knocked it out but it actually ended up killing the bear."

The close call earned Everhart bragging rights — and a ticket. Park authorities say he didn't properly secure his campsite.